Qatar denies objecting to Egypt’s cease-fire initiative

As both Hamas and Israel agree to another humanitarian 24-hour cease-fire to start on Sunday, Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled Attiya denied in statements to Al Jazeera that Qatar objects to Egypt’s cease-fire initiative.

Hamas had rejected a cease-fire proposed by Egypt two weeks ago, arguing that it lacked essential demands, such as lifting the siege on Gaza and opening the Rafah border crossing.

Attiya asserted that Qatar, Turkey and other allies consider Egypt’s role in the Palestinian cause to be important and essential.

Attiya gave the statements following his participation in an international meeting held in Paris on Saturday, which included US Secretary of State John Kerry, and the foreign ministers of Qatar, Turkey, France, Britain and Germany.

The meeting resulted in the renewal of a humanitarian cease-fire for an additional 24 hours, which began on Sunday.

However, Attiya said in his statements to Al Jazeera that the meeting aimed to stop the offensive on the Palestinians and lift the siege on Gaza.

Qatar and Turkey have been accused of sabotaging Egypt’s attempt to broker a cease-fire in Gaza in order to replace it in its regional role.

Foreign Affairs Minister said in a meeting with newspaper editors following the failure of Egypt’s initiative that Turkey, Hamas and Qatar are trying to sabotage Egypt’s regional role.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly criticized Egypt’s role in the crisis, saying that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is a tyrant and that Egypt’s government is illegitimate and cannot be relied upon to mediate a cease-fire.

The relationship between Egypt and Qatar and Turkey has been strained since the removal of former President Mohamed Morsi from power last year, in a move that both Qatar and Turkey considered to be an unconstitutional military coup.